With the NBA on hiatus and New York continuing its battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak, Brooklyn Nets games will not be played for the foreseeable future.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight impressive individual performances and major moments throughout Nets history:
John Williamson had some high-scoring nights during his ABA days with the New York Nets, but it wasn’t until the team moved to the NBA that he set his career-high at 50 points. In doing so, he became the first player in the history of the franchise to score 50 in an NBA game.
The next season (1979-80), and shortly after Williamson went to the Washington Bullets, Mike Newlin would join the club and set a new franchise high. He scored 52, though it came in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
Fast-forward to April 17, 1982, and Ray Williams joined the club when he dropped 52 on the Detroit Pistons in New Jersey’s 147-132 win (full box score). The guard went 21-for-34 from the floor and 9-for-11 at the free-throw line as he tied the franchise record in scoring — which would hold up until Deron Williams scored 57 in March of the 2011-12 season.